


Nightmares

by PandaFalls



Category: Drive By - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-16
Updated: 2016-01-16
Packaged: 2018-05-14 06:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5733676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PandaFalls/pseuds/PandaFalls





	Nightmares

The dream was always the same. Violet was angry with himself for always crying afterwards, but no amount of repetition would ever make that nightmare any less devastating to him. In fact, it was even worse than any of the horrific fantasies his midnight paranoia could conjure up in his sleep. This nightmare was a memory.

 

Like a mourning mother dusting off an old VHS in the dark solitude of the night, Violet’s mind would pluck the memory off of the shelves of his archives and drop it into the player to be projected throughout his mind once more. Everything looked happy. Violet was naked in Barnaby’s bed, enjoying the soft, sentimental touches of the man’s hand against his face. They both looked so blissful with Barnaby stretched out beside the boy, their bodies relaxed and practically alight with the warmth of a shared afterglow.

Suddenly the smile on the face above Violet vanishes and turns away, the man distracted by a noise or a feeling that Violet did not also sense. He sits up to listen more closely and puts a hand to Violet’s mouth, the boy growing more anxious by the second now. “Get under the bed right now,” the man soon orders. The tan-skinned boy’s eyes are wide, but he does not question the man. On the few occasions when Barnaby made a true command to the young one, Violet was expected to obey.

No sooner does Barnaby leave with his Desert Eagle in hand than his body bursts back through the open door. He’s bleeding. His gun is on the floor. He takes another bullet in favor of stepping forward and absolutely pulverizing the assailant’s nose, making sure to thoroughly stun the attacker so that he could reach for the stranger’s gun hand. He doesn’t even bother to tear the weapon away, simply turning the assailant’s entire hand towards them and pulling the trigger.

 _Bang._ Another gun shot, somehow louder to Violet than the last two. The stranger drops to the floor as Barnaby gives a wet cough and a laugh. “Stupid m-motherfu…” He doesn’t have the chance to finish before he too has collapsed. No amount of Violet’s screams wake him, not even when two nurses haul the boy away from the man’s still body while the doctors begin their work. Barnaby, wake up, wake up, wake up-

 

Violet woke up. It seemed Violet was a little late to the panic party this time because the tears were already there and the hyperventilation was in full swing. Barnaby was alerted of the boy’s approach by Mabel and the guests in the flat were promptly cut off. Strippers, henchmen, everyone was already moving towards the elevator when Violet stumbled out of there in his pajama pants and a t-shirt. Even through his blurry vision he could pick out the man in the crowd, that tall, ginger-topped form striding towards him.

Someone tried to step in and speak to the man. “Boss-”

“I said, **take a hike**.” The gang boss interrupted the newbie without even looking at them, making a note of the little fucker’s insolence for later. Right now he was more focused on the boy running into his arms. He watched as Violet went straight for the man’s chest, his shaking slender fingers frantically pushing away the material of the man’s leather jacket to locate two old bullet scars that looked a little fresher than the rest. “Yup, they’re still closed, V,” Barnaby murmured as he let the panicked boy press at the marks. Once Violet’s rational mind was satisfied that Barnaby was indeed alive and not bleeding out, he all but collapsed into the man’s strong hold and let Barnaby carry him away into the bedroom.

First the hyperventilation had to be calmed, and then the tears dried and the shaking boy tucked into bed, nestled right up against Barnaby. Dammit, he had never meant for the boy to see any of that shitty side of his business. Barnaby could almost see the mental scars throbbing just under that tanned forehead. Violet wasn’t cut out for this kind of life, but he never ran away and Barnaby couldn’t bring himself to make him leave. Of all the things Violet had seen, that little home invasion seemed to be the one that really stuck. Every time something new and violent happened, that was the nightmare that would pop up all over again.

“I-I’m sorry f-for ruining your par-party…” Violet’s voice was still shaking from the cry, but Barnaby shushed him before he could try to stumble over any other words and apologies.

“Stow it, V, yew know this is more important to me.”

A lingering sob jumped from the boy’s throat as he pressed closer to the strong body next to him and held on tight. “…You are going to die before me, aren’t you.”

Barnaby’s jaw clenched and his throat tightened. That was a new one, and shit, did it hit hard. He gave the little body in his arms a squeeze and rested his cheek against the boy’s forehead. “Everybody dies, V. Tha’s part of life.”

Violet gave a sniff, his fingers seeking out Barnaby’s hand and clutching it like a lifeline. “The sacred cycle.”

“…Yeah.”

“I love you.” The three words were not unfamiliar anymore, but Barnaby still couldn’t suppress that sinking feeling that they gave him when he heard them. Violet had so much love to share and he had chosen the most unworthy shithole of a person to whom he’d give it all away.

“…Yeah… Yeah I know… Get… Get some sleep, kiddo. I’ll be right here.”

"In the morning too?”

“Yeah. I’ll wake yew before I have to get up, okay?”

“Okay. Good night, Barnaby.”

“G’night.”


End file.
